Molecular dynamics simulation of silicon oxidation enhanced by energetic hydrogen ion irradiation

Abstract

Molecular dynamics numerical simulations have been performed to clarify the mechanism of enhanced oxidation in Si during silicon gate etching by HBr/O2 plasmas. Such enhanced oxidation sometimes manifests itself as Si recess during gate etching processes. When a Si substrate is subject to energetic ion bombardment together with a flux of radical species, our study has identified the cause of such enhanced oxidation in Si as enhanced O diffusion arising from the momentum transfer from energetic H atoms to O atoms on the surface or in the subsurface of the Si substrate. No chemical effect such as hydrogenation of Si plays a role for the enhanced oxidation. Simulation results are found to be in good agreement with earlier experimental observations of ion-irradiation-enhanced oxidation obtained by beam experiments.